


Glitches

by lostinmysticfalls



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-16 17:49:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19323097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinmysticfalls/pseuds/lostinmysticfalls
Summary: For Maggie and Harry, the only reality they’re aware of is the one where they’ve known each other for five years. But their lives seem too ideal and everything seems too perfect to be true. Their fears are soon confirmed by the arrival of a stranger who threatens to shatter their entire world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 2-Part Fic. 
> 
> I drew some inspiration from Taylor Swift's "Delicate" for this but the story is entirely a reimagining of the first reality (World One) we see in 1x22 "The Source Awakens." 
> 
> Huge thanks to westwingwolf for popping my beta cherry with this one! Your input helped so much!!

A bruised sky lined the horizon, an encompassing shadow looming over the city as the lights of the buildings began to shine and come alive. Maggie's hands rested on the edge of the third story terrace, her brown eyes glistening with the fading fiery glow of the setting sun. She loved escaping to her safe haven, to him. It was the calmness she craved after the constant battles for survival. 

Demon hunting was in her blood and she loved everything about it, but escaping the clutches of death on the regular was exhausting and he always knew how to provide the balance she so desperately needed. 

The air, tepid as it brushed her face, had a strange nostalgic quality to it that she couldn't quite make out. It reminded her of summers in Hilltowne and the damp smell of the woods after a night of rain. There was more to it than that but she couldn't put her finger on it. Her heart pattered, recognizing it too but her mind continued drawing nothing but a blank. 

She’d been lost in this thought when she felt a twinge in her fingertips, one that zapped her out of her dreamlike state. Like a rush of electricity had suddenly pricked her skin, making her flinch in response. Out of the corner of her eye, the sky lit up for just an instant, similar to a temporary glitch in a video game screen. 

Maggie's brow furrowed as she squinted. She looked down at her hand and then again at the sky, blinking a few times, convinced that she’d hallucinated the whole thing. A likely result of her exhaustion from lack of sleep the past few days. 

"Wandering off into space again?" Harry asked, coming up behind her and startling her for just a moment. 

A glass of red wine appeared in front of her as he wrapped his arm around her from behind, his warm lips pressed to the side of her neck. Maggie closed her eyes and smiled, forgetting all about the odd feeling she'd just experienced. 

She sighed, taking a hold of her glass. "Just thinking." Her pulse quickening at the feel of his tender kisses as she drank the red wine, her tongue drowning in the chocolatey and sweet aromas.

"Aren't you always?" He muttered. "That beautiful mind of yours can be frightening almost as much as it can be heavenly." His accent laced the word in smooth perfection. It was the only sound that made her heart reverberate like a hormonal teenager. Not that twenty-three was that far off. 

She took another sip of her wine and immersed herself in his embrace, his body the only refuge she needed from the harshness of their reality. Keeping a relationship secret for months hadn't been an easy task but aside from that, everything was just the way she'd always dreamed of—Maggie couldn't believe how lucky she was.

She had been only eighteen when Harry Greenwood came into her life. And even though five years seemed like forever ago, the memory of his introduction was permanently marked in her mind. 

Maggie smiled, thinking back to what a precocious and stubborn teenager she had been. _I don't need a bodyguard and I definitely don't need a nanny._ Her mother had been so embarrassed, apologizing to Harry for her daughter's rude behavior. But the whitelighter had been nothing but courteous and proper, no matter how convinced she had been on more than one occasion that he would've happily choked the life out of her if he could. 

"I beg your pardon. I would never choke you." He paused, thinking to himself. "Not unless you asked me to." His voice low and enticing. 

Maggie gasped, playfully elbowing him in the ribs and making him laugh. She'd grown accustomed to sharing her thoughts with him from time to time, but there were still moments when she was caught off guard. For the most part, she did not mind.

"And for the record, it was me who made the first move. You seem to be struggling with that memory." He teased.

She raised her eyebrows, turning slightly toward him. “Um. Slurring the words you're beautiful right before passing out on the couch after having too much coquito hardly counts as a first move, Har." 

"And yet, we were both right back on that couch a week later. Weren't we?" He looked over at the piece of furniture visible through the window. 

Maggie rolled her eyes but smiled. 

Her mind inevitably slipping into another reverie.

* * *

It had been only six months prior. The first time Harry had hosted New Year's Eve at his condo. Mel had been there for only a few hours before meeting her girlfriend for a concert later that night. Maggie, as usual, had been the last of the remaining guests to stick around long after midnight.

She smiled, watching the last person leave. 

Her eyes lively and coquettish as she impishly asked. "Make me a drink?" 

Two gin and tonics and one hour later, they were sitting on that couch. The distance between them practically nonexistent. 

“Okay. I don't know how to say this subtly so I'm just going to go ahead and say it the only way I know how." Maggie whispered, inching a little closer to him. "I can't get you out of my head, Har."

Harry looked away and smiled—and she would swear until the day she died that she had made him blush with her forthcomingness that night. 

"I'd imagine it's difficult to stop thinking of someone when they're constantly barraging you with unsolicited advice?" He said jokingly.

But Maggie was serious. ”You know what I mean.""Don't you think it's too soon for this, Maggie? I mean, weren't you dating that boy from the diner a couple months ago?" 

Maggie grimaced. "Chill, Harry. I'm not asking you to be my boyfriend. Look, I get it. You think that whatever this is, is too new and too delicate to even entertain the idea.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well, isn’t it?" Harry questioned. "Too delicate and fragile to explore further?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that I'm not alone in this... confusion."

Harry looked at her with the kindest eyes she'd ever seen. The silence between them was comforting. After a short while, his glances began to trail over the features of her face. Flicking between her brown irises and her deep red lips.

He waited for just the tiniest upward tilt of her chin before he leaned in closer. The butterflies in her stomach began to swirl, a fire erupting in her like she was made of embers. Their warm breath met in a needy murmured groan as his lips touched hers. 

The kiss was soft, as if he was carefully testing her limits, still unsure this is what she really wanted. 

"You know this is not for the best. Far from it. What we are doing will not go over well with the Elders, or your mother.” He kissed her again, drawing it out a little longer this time. His tongue delicately pushing between her lips. 

He continued between breaths. "The only promise we can make is that we will not repeat this." 

Maggie sucked on his bottom lip without an ounce of shame, losing herself both in his taste and the tempest forming inside her. "That's fine, Har. I don't mind pretending you're mine just for tonight." 

She pulled his shirt apart with the audacity only her youth could manage. "I just need to get it out of my system, don't you?"

Harry nodded, his body shivering at the feel of her hands on his naked chest.

At the time, they both thought it was just an impulse, driven by nothing more than desire and a need to scratch an itch that had been distracting them from their witch and whitelighter duties. 

They had agreed that they were both adults and as such, sleeping together would resolve the tension between them so they could both go back to their normal lives afterwards. Naive is what they were, putting to shame even Harry and his decades of experience.

They hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other since that night. 

Crossing that line had been the point of no return, opening the floodgates to every feeling they'd been trying to keep bottled up, and making the months that followed some of the best they’d ever experienced. 

That memory was something she'd always carry with her.

* * *

She smiled, returning to the present and the safety of his arms.

"Do you ever think of how perfect this is?" Maggie asked, in an almost frightful tone, like just the thought of it would somehow destroy the beautiful life they'd made for themselves. 

His hand had already started traveling over the bend of her waist, caressing her stomach in a circular motion as she spoke. He hummed something into her neck, not quite distinguishable. It was more of a growl, wanting and needy as his body came alive. She smelled divine, his senses reacting to her in ways that always felt new. 

Maggie beamed, her center pulsing as he unbuttoned her jeans and slowly dipped his fingers underneath the denim. His fingertips curled over her mound, making her nub throb with each tantalizing touch and eliciting a rush of blood to every part of her body, making her cheeks flush. A wetness pooled between her legs, moans leaving her lips as she rested her head back on his shoulder.

"I have been thinking about you all day." He confessed, his ministrations hasty.

The stars above became blurred streaks between her half-closed eyelids. Her quickened breath barely allowing her to speak. "Was that before or after I kicked your ass?"  
Harry laughed, taking a second to place the wine glasses on the table—they were done with those for the time being. 

The thought of her gaining the upper hand during their one-on-one combat training only added to his arousal. She'd become way better than him at practically everything, but there were still some things he'd never fully admit to—his pride just wouldn't let him. 

Harry spun her around. 

Maggie wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck and held on, her legs like hooks around his waist as their mouths collided into a wet and ardent kiss that made her temperature rise and her heartbeat accelerate. 

She began tugging at his tie and undoing the buttons of his shirt as he made his way to the bedroom with her in his arms. 

They were at the foot of the bed when he set her down. His eyes tenderly staring at hers, subtly tracing the gentle features of her beautiful face. Maggie smiled but felt a little self conscious after a few moments. His intense gaze always made her weak, but this one was different, she felt it deep in her core.

"What is it?" Her fingers finished undoing his shirt. The palm of her hands sliding down his bare chest and over his taut stomach.

His hands tenderly cupped her face as he opened his mouth to utter a response, his words spoken with conviction. "I love you, Maggie."

There was a hint of shock to her expression. "What?" She shook her head right away, as if the reply had been a stupid one. "I mean, Harry…"

"You don't have to say it if—"

"I love you too, Har." Maggie said, cutting him off and immediately kissing him after that. "I love you." She repeated herself, a wave of bliss triggering every cell in her body the second time she said it. 

Harry kissed her with more fervor, finally giving himself the freedom to express himself without bounds and emotional limitations. He'd been thinking of telling her for the past week, trying to find the right moment, afraid that she didn't feel quite the same about him yet. 

Maggie was everything to him and the thought of ruining things with one declaration had kept him from doing it sooner. 

She fell back on the bed, her body sinking into the fluffy comforter as he climbed on top of her. His hands clutching every mound and curve of her body. Her skin supple and radiant like her ever-glowing presence. He couldn't help chuckling at the noises she was making, a mixture of arousal and pure, unadulterated glee. 

He loved the way her tone changed from one second to the next. That brief moment where she crossed the threshold into unabated animalistic need was without a doubt, his favorite sound. 

Her moans grew louder, hands touching the parts of him that were only reserved for her. 

She bucked her center into him, the heat encompassing his massive hardness as he rubbed himself against her, looking for a temporary relief to his ache. His chest meanwhile, bursting with every joyful emotion known to man.

Harry ran his fingers through her hair, lifting up her shirt to latch on to the supple skin of her breasts, tongue brushing her stiff nipples before biting down just enough until she was pleading for him to relieve her of the built up pressure and tension. 

He yanked off her shirt completely, her small and beautifully shaped tits moving in cadence with her body's writhing movements. She removed the denim jeans she'd been wearing, sliding them down her legs along with her underwear. 

Her core, tender and heated, pulsed faster as she watched him get undressed. 

Maggie could spend all day marveling at his naked body, and gawking at his impressive size. She crawled on the bed in his direction just as he was about to join her, staring up at him as she remained in all fours. Her hand reached for his beautiful cock—incomparable by all accounts. 

Harry stood still, his intentions to get into bed halted for the time being. He was enthralled by her. 

She smiled, her full lips opening wide enough to fit his size.

Harry groaned as she teasingly sucked his tip while making the most glorious sounds he'd ever heard. Her hand was wrapped around the base of his dick, moving up and down his length with just the right amount of force in her grip. 

Her mouth enclosed around him again, this time taking him slowly, inch by inch. The heat of her crevice and swirling tongue like a tight, warm hug around him. The sight of her sucking him off was one of the most beautiful things he'd had the pleasure of witnessing, but as much as he loved it, he worried it'd be too difficult to keep himself from coming if she continued.

Maggie enjoyed him for a little while longer, her tongue licking every inch of him. She slurped him up like a melting popsicle in summer, taking him in so deep that she gagged a couple times. 

Harry’s eyes were glossy from the constant burst of pleasure, he wanted nothing more than to plow into her and give her as much satisfaction as she'd shown him. 

He took her chin between his fingers as she wiped the corners of her mouth. 

"Turn around." He said in a low voice, her center throbbing in response. 

Maggie did as he asked, her legs spread out just enough for him to glide inside her wet opening. She whimpered, cursing at how good he made her feel as soon he plunged into her depths. He had both hands on her ass, slipping in and out, tip leaving her opening for a moment only to fill her up a second later, alternating his pace based on her vocal response. 

She looked over her shoulder, making eye contact and muttering dirty praises as he continued to fuck her. She was well aware of the kind of effect that had on him. Harry reveled in it. 

After a while, he reached around her, his fingers putting pressure on her clit, rubbing it in circles at the same time as he buried himself inside her. Maggie's breathing was becoming shallower the longer he went at it. Until finally, her body gave in to the constant pleasure. Her walls quivered around him, muscles contracting as she bathed him in hot release. 

The thing about them was that they knew how to read each other. Always aware of what the other craved and knowing exactly how to satisfy that need. It's what made every single one of their encounters so mind-blowing and unrivaled. Maggie could easily compare him to past experiences but there really was no point when there was no one that had ever even come close. 

Her hair fell over one side of her face as she climbed on top of him. Her thighs resting on his hips and ass cheeks slapping his thighs as she began to ride him with urgency. The moans leaving both of them almost in sync as she undulated her center against him, rising and falling into his cock for minutes on end. 

Harry was embarrassingly close to finishing, even though Maggie always took it as a compliment whenever he found it impossible to hold back. She loved the surrender a little more than she'd like to admit. And more often than not, watching him give in to her made her come undone as well. 

She felt his hands clutch her hips, his fingertips digging into her skin. Maggie moaned loudly, the sensations overtaking her as her clit rubbed against him like a swinging pendulum. 

It only took Harry's initial spurt of release to bring her over the edge again. Their bodies culminating together in overwhelming ecstasy for a few, drawn out blissful seconds.

* * *

Maggie opened her eyes the following morning, adjusting slowly to the brightness of the bedroom. The curtains had apparently been left open. _Sheer curtains_. She thought, her mind scrambling to make sense of what she was seeing. 

She pushed herself up on the bed, realizing it was her own down comforter she was wrapped in.

"What the hell?" She muttered, examining her surroundings—the dream catcher on the wall, the pink chair in front of her vanity.

She was also wearing her favorite silk pajamas. The ones she'd slept in a couple nights ago. It was not the way she was expecting to wake up. For starters, the gorgeous, naked man that had fallen asleep next to her was missing and she was clearly in her bedroom not his.

"When did I get here?" 

Maggie rolled off the bed in a hurry, panic-stricken, knowing something about the situation felt terribly wrong. In an instant her breathing quickened, emotions running high as she tried to tell herself that she needed to calm down. 

She reached for her phone. Noticing the date. The same date as the day before. _No. It can't be._

"Harry!" She exhaled, heart still racing incredibly fast. "Harry!" 

Her bedroom door started to rattle as if someone was trying to open it. Maggie heard the loud sniffing and then the quiet whimpering before the dog started scratching at it.

"Markle?" She opened the door. Letting the puppy in the room, and petting it absentmindedly. _Where the hell is he?_

"Harry!" 

Immediately after that last call, the whitelighter appeared in front of her. She sighed in relief and smiled, hugging him tightly, her hands cupping his face as she went in for a kiss.

Markle began running circles around them, excited to see him, tail wagging enthusiastically. Evidently, he was his favorite human. Sometimes it made Maggie wonder if he loved Harry more than he loved her.

"What's going on?" She said without missing a beat. "Did last night—tonight—actually happen?"

Harry looked baffled but he nodded. He had a clear recollection of it happening. He pondered the situation for a moment. "I'm not sure what's going on but something is obviously not right." 

"Do you think there was a demon attack last night that we don't know about? Are we stuck in some kind of weird time loop? This has to be supernatural, right?"

Harry sensed her fear as he caressed her cheek. He smiled, trying to appease her. "Breathe." He said. "Do you happen to remember anything from last night that might have been out of the ordinary?"

That was a loaded question, considering everything they had done. She raised one eyebrow, a little sparkle to her gaze as she looked him up and down.

"Besides that." Harry said, winking at her.

After a couple seconds, a lightbulb went on in her head. "Last night... Tonight, or whatever. Yes. Something did happen but I thought I had imagined it so I didn't mention it." 

She shook her head. "When I was outside in the terrace, I saw something in the sky. It was like a weird flash. Like I was looking at a malfunctioning screen. It happened so fast." 

She touched her hand. “I also felt this electrical current going through my fingertips, like a static shock. Do you think maybe it's not a demon? Maybe Mel accidentally screwed up time or something.”

"Perhaps." Harry took a deep breath. "She has been practicing a lot lately but usually just with plants."

He barely got the words out before the room around them started to shift. Maggie's eyes widened as she shrieked. Everything around them began to move as if someone had pressed a fast-forward button on their day. She held on to Harry, who was also very aware of what was happening. 

A sharp pain pierced their brain, almost making them topple over in agony. Their mind processing so many memories they had no recollection of until that moment. Like the whole day's events were being implanted in their heads as time progressed around them. 

When everything stopped spinning, they noticed their change in clothes, and then the blood dripping from their nose.

"What the hell was that?" Maggie asked, wiping off the blood with a tissue and handing one to Harry.

The brightness of the early morning had changed to night, the crickets outside chirping as the house itself fell somber and still. But the silence and the calm only lasted for a moment. 

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. 

“I’ll go first. I'll call for you as soon as I see what's going on."

Harry nodded. "Be careful." He held on to her hand until she walked away and it inevitably slipped between his fingers.

The instant Maggie walked out the door she heard Mel's voice, dubious but stern.  
"I told you she is out of town."

"She's supposed to be here." The guest at the door said. "I don't understand what went wrong. I thought about it very clearly, I planned it very carefully."

Maggie ran downstairs, looking at the stranger and keeping her distance. For all she knew, this was the time manipulating demon that was causing all that chaos.

Mel looked at Maggie. "She says she knows mom.”

“Who are you?” Maggie demanded an answer.

"I'm Macy. Your sister.” She smiled.

Maggie shook her head. "That's not possible."

"Maggie and I don't have a sister." 

“No, you do. I am your sister. And we’re witches. The Charmed Ones." Macy was starting to spiral. "In our world, I took on the Source and saved everyone. That’s why I’m here, so we can all finally be together, with mom.”

"The Source of all Evil? And what do you mean _in our world_?” Maggie didn't hesitate to call Harry then, and the whitelighter showed up at her side in the blink of an eye.

"Harry." Macy smiled, convinced he would recognize her. "Harry it's me. Macy. You know me. You remember me, right?"

The whitelighter looked at her for a long moment. "Macy?" He shook his head, not making a connection. 

“Yes.” She nodded. “You and I, we're very close in our world."

Maggie scoffed. "Okay. She's obviously lying…” She trailed off. Taking a hold of Harry’s hand and making sure Macy caught sight of the loving gesture. 

Macy laughed. "You two? You're together? Obviously, this is just one more thing that went wrong. A glitch that can be easily taken care of." Her eyes flashed black for just a second, making them all take a step back. "But I can fix it. I can fix all of it. I can make it better for all of us."

“Macy, wait!" Harry screamed. “Wait! I do remember you." The whitelighter took a step forward, his arms like shields in front of Mel and Maggie. "I believe you.” He lied. “And your sisters will too if you just let me show them the truth."

Macy looked at them for a few moments. Her eyes scanning them one at a time, trying to read their silent expressions, in hopes that she'd find Harry's claims believable. 

“What are you going to do?” She asked.

Harry spoke softly, like one does when trying to keep a dangerous animal from striking. “I know of a place where our memories can be restored. There’s a potion. It will give us all our memories back.”

Macy wasn’t too convinced, she wanted them to accept her and take her in. She wanted to live a life with their mother but the thought of them remembering everything and possibly opting to put a stop to it all made her uneasy. 

“Macy, if you really want a better life for all of us, including Marisol, then you need to let me do this. It’s the only way.” Harry insisted.

* * *

Taking a sip of that potion had left Maggie in a state of limbo. She’d been convinced Macy had been lying, that everything was just a trick orchestrated by a very crafty and deceitful demon. 

But it hadn’t been that way. 

There really was another world they belonged to, one in which she and Harry were just a witch and whitelighter, with no other bond other than the one that also existed between him and her sisters. 

The voices in the living room were indistinct, like the sound of talk underwater. She should’ve known. She should’ve known that what they had was too perfect and beautiful to be true. But she also knew that no matter how they looked at it, everything they had, the memories they’d made, it was all theirs. That reality still existed within them and it would continue to exist even if the magic was now broken and they had to return to the lives they previously had.

Mel had mumbled something about their mom, about letting Marisol go, but Macy was adamant that a reality without her mom didn’t mean a thing. It seemed like no amount of reasoning was getting through to her. 

“You can’t do this!” Maggie finally snapped. “You can’t just show up out of the blue and ruin our whole life like it's nothing, Macy.” She was furious.

Harry looked her, taking a hold of her hand. A single touch of him making her emotions go haywire.

“But it is nothing. It’s not real. I can’t ruin something that’s not real.” Macy stated, completely in denial of any wrongdoing. “I’m the one who’s doing this. I’m the one creating these realities for us. So we can all be happy.”

“Except it is real. To us it is real. It’s been years for us. We have memories of everything before tonight and… and none of them involve you.” Maggie began to cry.

Macy screamed, a deep, demonic tone to her voice. "No! You can't erase me from my own realities!" Maggie and Harry looked at each other. “It’s all your fault.” She pointed a finger at them. “You’re the glitches in my design.” She scoffed. 

“What?” Mel asked, worrying for her sister and their whitelighter. “No, Macy. This is not Maggie or Harry’s fault. It’s the Source taking advantage of your insecurities and doubts. We can help you get better. Let us help you!”

A powerful wind slammed the doors open, growing stronger until it started whirling around them like a violent hurricane. 

"I have to fix this."

"Stop! Don't do this!" Harry pleaded. “Macy, stop!”

"I'm sorry. It’ll all be over soon.”

Harry tried to orb Mel and Maggie out of there, and he almost succeeded. However, escaping the god-like powers of the darkness that resided in Macy was an impossible feat. They'd barely made it far enough before they were again trapped in the revolving doors that were the shifting sands of time.


	2. Chapter 2

Glitches. 

That's what Macy had called their inability to conform to the realities she had created. 

In her eyes, they’d been the malfunctioning pieces of otherwise perfect worlds, time and time again.

Neither of them really knew why, but Harry had theorized that the connection they shared had made them unpredictable and as a result, immune to some of the Source’s magic. It was like their bond had always kept them grounded in their own reality, making it difficult for Macy to shape them into different versions of themselves no matter how much she transformed the world around them. 

They’d been the only thing she could not foresee and the one thing she hadn’t been able to control. 

Maggie sat quietly on her bed, knees up to her chest and tears running down her cheeks, letting her emotions get the best of her. Hilltowne had been brought back from the precipice of extinction, and they had succeeding in containing the Source, but at what cost? 

The illusion of that perfect world they had together had shattered into only fragments of memories and moments lost somewhere in time. Everything she and Harry had ever known about each other—their time together, their feelings—it had just been an intricately woven lie that had gone too far.

There was a sudden knock at the door. 

Maggie wiped the tears that had welled from her eyes. 

“Come in.”

It was him. 

Her breathing hitched, her body betraying her the moment she saw him. The beat of her heart engaging in a joyful skip against her will.

He was standing so close to her. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him like she’d done so many times before, and she asked herself why they couldn’t just let those feelings eclipse everything else.

“Maggie.”

“Harry, how did this happen?” The sadness in her voice made his heart ache. “One moment we had everything, and the next–“

“I know, Maggie. I wish it weren’t like this. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“Mel and Macy are acting like everything’s fine. Do you think everything’s fine?”

He shook his head, taking a seat next to her on the bed. 

“How can I be fine after finding out the woman I was supposed to be in love with is dead and so is my former charge?” He put his hand close to hers but didn’t touch it. “Things I had no memory of while I was in that other world… with you.”

After a few seconds of silence he uttered. “I heard you talking to Parker earlier.” The tone in his voice was vastly different, like he was forcing himself to bring it up.

Maggie huffed. “Yeah, he came to say goodbye. He’s leaving town to get his demon side under control.” She paused, trying to gather her thoughts before softly speaking the rest. “Part of me wanted to cry and beg him to stay. I think I feel sad about it but I’m not sure, none of it really makes any sense.” 

“If you feel that way then perhaps your real memories are coming to the forefront… Maggie, are you still in love with him?” 

“Harry, don’t ask me that.” She looked away, crestfallen. 

“So it’s a yes, then.” He said under his breath. “Very well.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I feel. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about him… about you.” In between tears of exasperation she managed to squeak out a laugh. A product of the ridiculous predicament they found themselves in. 

“What about you? Do you love _her_?” Asking the question hurt more than she’d anticipated. It stung like salt on a fresh, open wound.

“Charity? No, I–”

“Macy.” She muttered. A sickening feeling making her stomach turn. “Do you have feelings for her?” Maggie’s voice was shaky. “I overheard her talking to Mel about you. Is it true that she read it in your thoughts before all this happened?” 

He looked away, as if ashamed. That thought was never meant to be known, not by Macy, not by Mel, and definitely not by her. 

“Yes, it’s true. But that was before.”

Maggie was starting to feel resentment toward her own sister and she hated herself for it. She couldn’t allow herself to have those type of feelings. She couldn’t blame Macy for giving her a perfect life with Harry and then taking it away. The Source was to blame for that, not her. And she knew she couldn’t blame her for Harry’s feelings toward her. That wasn’t her fault either.

Maggie wiped away the tears and forced herself to smile, putting on a brave face to hide the fact that she felt like dying.

“I think we both need time to process everything. I mean, my head is a mess. I’m sure yours is too.” She said.

Harry wasn’t going to push her into talking or making up her mind about anything. She was clearly still confused about her own feelings, not to mention, she was also back to being only eighteen. It was wrong of him to see her any differently because of some fantasy world that no longer existed. 

Maggie was right, they did need time to assimilate to their own reality. 

“Yes, of course.” He cleared his throat, getting up from the bed. 

As he reached for the door, he stopped.

For a moment, Maggie hoped that he’d come back to her. Because no matter how in turmoil her feelings were, the one thing she really wanted at that very moment was for him to kiss her one more time. To prove to her that what they had was real, to take away the pain of losing it all.

But Harry did no such thing. 

He remained by the door with his hand on the knob as he quietly spoke. “I just want you to know that whatever I thought in that fleeting moment with Macy, doesn’t compare to how I... felt about you. Not even close. It was a passing thought and nothing else.”

Maggie relinquished a tiny smile but for the rest of the night, she dwelled on his use of the word ‘felt.’ It seemed as if Harry was already putting that other world behind him just like everyone else. 

Maybe it was time for her to do the same.

* * *

ONE MONTH LATER.

Maggie would be lying if she said that adjusting back to the real world had been easy. There was still a part of her that was bitter for losing what she once had.

It was like she had Harry and she didn't at the same time. Like she'd spent years of her life with him and at the same time only known him for just one. She’d grown—both in years and as a person—in that first reality and in this one, she was back to her college days and barely on the verge of nineteen. 

She had a prewritten history that told her, her heart had once belonged to a half-human, half-demon college boy, but her mind and heart still couldn’t reconcile the idea that she’d ever loved anyone the way she loved Harry. It seemed impossible. 

“Vegan sausage and tofu scramble.” He stated, setting the plate in front of her. 

“Thanks, Har.” Maggie looked at him, soaking in the smile she got in return. 

Had he really forgotten everything? Sometimes she was convinced that traces of her Harry were still there. It was either wishful thinking on her part or Harry’s inability to keep a poker face on for too long—she always hoped for the latter.

“You going to class or pilates today?” Macy asked, alluding to her attire.

“Neither.” She said. “Just put on what I found first.”

Mel smiled at both of them, drinking from her coffee. 

Macy didn’t say much more. She made an effort to finish up her breakfast and within a few minutes she was on her way out the door to the lab. 

They were acting so normal. Like nothing had ever happened. Maggie knew she should’ve been happy for them but it bothered her to see them so carefree when she was still trying to find her footing.

The last time she had asked Mel about that other reality she’d described it as a fading dream. One that she could barely piece together in her mind. It wasn’t like that at all for her. Maggie felt like she’d been living a lie that whole month by keeping her feelings at bay. 

For her, they had been excruciatingly long weeks riddled with bouts of pining. Asking herself if what she and Harry had was really just part of a make-belief world that’d vanished into thin air. Worrying about whether they were throwing away something real. Constantly thinking of him in every type of scenario imaginable—she had plenty of memories left from that other world to keep her awake at night. Wondering if his lips tasted the way she remembered. Dreaming of his touch and the sensations her body experienced every time they made love. She couldn’t stop thinking about him any differently and frankly, she’d given up trying. 

“Alright, I gotta head out for my interview. I’m feeling really good about this one.” Mel said, shaking her from her daydream as she got up from the table. 

“Good luck.” Maggie said, waving her off without much effort.

They were alone again. But only one of them seemed to be carrying the weight of a past relationship on their shoulders. 

“Are you okay?” Harry asked, picking up the empty coffee mug that Mel had left on the table and carrying it to the sink. 

“I’m fine.” She lied through her teeth. 

“Maggie.” He said gently. “You don’t have to pretend with me.” A tiny smile appeared on his face. “You’ve been distracted.”

That was one way to put it. 

She pushed herself up from the table, unsure of what she was doing but walking toward him regardless. She leaned on the counter, enjoying the way his eyes trailed over her as he cleared his throat. Who knew a pair of yoga pants and a crop top could cause such a stir?

“I haven’t forgotten like Mel and Macy have.” Maggie admitted. Feeling like she could breathe for the first time in weeks. “I still remember everything… like it’s always been a part of me.”

He shook his head. That’s not what he was hoping to hear. 

Harry knew it wasn’t his fault and yet he felt responsible for what was happening. Responsible and guilty, like he’d somehow encouraged this behavior. 

“I miss what we had, Har.”

He looked away for a moment. Harry felt like he couldn’t allow himself to even consider a relationship when there was still so much world for her to see and experience outside of what they once had. 

“Maggie, you’re in college. I’m…” He stammered. “I’m…”

“Too old for me?” She laughed it off. “You do realize that you’ll be thirty-seven forever and I will eventually catch up to you? Or that I was twenty-three not long ago and we made it work just fine.”

“It’s not that easy.” He replied.

“It’s not supposed to be easy.” She paused, a doe-eyed look on her face as she muttered. “Don’t you ever think of me that way?”

Harry took another step toward her, triggering a rousing heat in her core. The way he was looking at her reminded her of all those other times he’d been unable to resist her. The intensity in his eyes was all the confirmation she really needed.

“Maggie, I want you to live your life without letting that other world get in the way of your plans. Before all that, you had other things you were looking forward to, don’t you miss that?”

She nodded. “Yeah, and I still care about all that.”

He exhaled deeply. “I just think it would be best if you didn’t have distractions getting in the way.”

Maggie grimaced. “Harry. What are you trying to say?”

“Don’t you think it would be best for you if you didn’t have those memories interfering with your focus?”

"How can you even ask me that?” She snarled. “You know exactly what it's like to not have your memories. Even if they weren't supposed to be real. They’re real to me and I will not let you wipe them away like some dirty stain. Were they not real to you?”

“Of course they were real to me! I just hate to see you struggle with this when you don't have to. When I could take away your pain and make it easier for you to move on." 

She did want him to take away her pain but not like that.

“You don’t like to see me struggle? Have you even considered what I want? And how do you know that I want to move on?” She raised her voice. “You’re being just like her. Maybe you two do belong together after all.” She scoffed.

“What?” He was taken aback by her petty remark. “Why would you say something like that?”

“Offering to take away my memories. It’s just like what Macy did to us, she wanted to control everything. We were happy. Everything was perfect. And then we had all of it ripped away from us.” 

Harry looked down for a moment, the words sinking in. 

“Now you want to take away the only thing I have left of you?”

“No, Maggie.” He realized how much his words had hurt her. “I just want things to be better for you. I want the best for you because…”

He inched closer to her, his touch unable to evade her any longer. His fingers brushed her cheeks, gently tucking her hair behind her ear as he gazed into her dark brown eyes. Maggie’s heart fluttered anxiously.

“Because it would make things easier on you if I didn’t remember?” She snapped back. “I don’t understand. Are you waiting for some magic moment when we both realize we’re at the right place and time to pick up where we left off? Am I supposed to wait five years because you’re too scared to try anything now?” 

Her eyes were watery, it was obvious she was holding it together as best as she could. 

The whole thing was absurd. 

There was a derisive tone to her chuckle as she spoke. “It’s like we’re right back to that place again, huh?” She said. “We can't make any promises, we’re wondering if it’s too soon for this after all that’s happened. Well, I know for a fact that it isn’t too soon.” 

Her voice was a soft whisper. “I know because every time I look into your eyes, Har. Every damn time I look at you. I pretend that you’re still mine, even for just a split second.”

Harry wrapped his arms around her then and she clung to him tightly, breathing him in. “And it’s the happiest split second of my life.”

An audible sigh left his lips. “Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?” He said, an elated ring to his words as he kissed the top of her head. Maggie could hear his intensified heartbeat against her ear, as she pressed her face to his chest. 

He held on to her for as long as she needed, until she slowly began to break away from the embrace.

Harry looked at her and smiled, placing both hands on her face this time. “I was going to say—before I was so rudely interrupted—that I just want the best for you because… I love you just the same, despite everything that’s happened.”

Maggie looked up at him with the biggest smile he’d ever seen. “Really?”

He nodded. “And yes, I still think of you that way—in every way imaginable.” He said. “I never stopped thinking about you—about us. Not even for a second, Maggie.”

“I knew you hadn’t forgotten.” She said quietly. 

“How could I possibly forget you? I can’t even escape you in my dreams.” 

“I’ve missed you so much.” She confessed, her breathing quickening with anticipation.   
“I need you so much, Har.”

He closed the distance between them, the feathery touch of their noses making her shiver. Harry pressed his mouth on her lips without trepidation, giving in to old feelings and opening the door to new ones. The kiss was passionate and full of longing, a declaration of his yearning for her.

A sudden laugh broke the silence after a few moments, as his arms lifted her up on the kitchen counter.

“Is it too soon to do this yet?” He asked. 

Maggie shook her head. “Definitely not. It’s about damn time.” 

Her heartbeat went wild, body coming alive like it’d been dormant this whole time without him. Her craving for him was ravenous. 

She anchored him between her thighs, her hands running through his hair as they continued to kiss. She’d been wrong. He tasted better than she remembered. 

“I know we said no promises, but can you make me just this one?” He asked, breathing a little heavier than before.

“Maybe.” Her response was coy, one finger tracing an imaginary line over the buttons of his shirt.

“Might be best not to compare this experience with any other you might remember.” 

Maggie laughed. “Trust me, my expectations aren’t that high.”

The look of disbelief in his face had a hint of displeasure. “Should I be offended by that statement or thanking you for it?” 

“I’m kidding.” She said, her voice quivering at the feel of his lips on her neck. The way he nipped at her tender skin made her body tremble. “But I do have to admit, I’ve been dying to find out the difference.” She said between moans. 

Maggie brought his face to hers, tasting him again. Her teeth grazed his bottom lip, fully savoring the kiss as she slipped off his jacket and let it fall to the floor. The touch of his hands gliding down her sides, thumbs just barely brushing the plumpness of her breasts made her body burn with desire.

The fact that he hadn’t torn off her clothes yet and fucked her right on the counter was driving her crazy with need. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. 

Harry smiled against her lips, getting a glimpse of what she wanted. “I could very well do that but I figured our first time should be more comfortable than a marble countertop.”

“Hm. Reading my thoughts again?” She questioned, lightly blushing. “I see some things haven’t changed.” 

Harry laughed, making her squeal in delight as he orbed them directly to her bedroom.

Her body fell gently on the bed, and she eagerly slipped off her pants before plopping back on the pillow and spreading her arms over her head. Her pupils dilated, watching him as he slowly crawled on top of her. 

She could feel him growing hard against her center as he settled between her legs, rocking lightly into her as his lips collided with hers for a few minutes before running along her jaw and down her neck and collarbone. 

His hands explored her freely. Taking turns moving along the length of her body and clinging to her hip before sliding down her smooth leg. Maggie’s chest lifted off the bed as his fingers made their way up once again, his hand clutching her breast over her clothing. Massaging it and gripping it tightly enough to make her body contort in pleasure. Moans leaving her mouth like hymns. 

Her hands pulled at his shirt, sliding it up his back until it had reached his shoulder blades. Harry yanked it off all the way, gasping at the feel of her warm mouth on his chest. Maggie wasn’t holding back, her tongue rolling over his skin, leaving a moist trail behind before placing scorching kisses on him. 

It didn’t take long before she was wiggling her way out of her shirt. A laced bra the only thing separating his watering mouth from relishing in her. Harry wedged his hand under her back, unclipping her bra at an impressive speed. Tossing it off the bed he dove right into her, his lips enclosing around one pebbled nipple.

Maggie’s core was pounding, becoming wetter with every touch and every flick of his tongue. His green eyes burned into her as he sucked on them with zeal, and her parted lips let out little puffs of air accompanied by whimpers that only grew louder with each ticking second. 

Slipping one hand between their bodies, she began to rub his hardened cock over his pants. Loving the way his breathing hitched every time she stroked him. Her fingertips molding his length over the fabric.

She wanted more and Harry didn’t hesitate to give in to her needs.

He pushed himself off the bed, unbuckling his pants and getting out of them fairly quickly. Maggie had wondered countless times if everything about that previous reality had been accurate, and her curiosity was finally placated when he completely stripped down. 

“Holy shit.” She said under her breath, biting her lip as she inadvertently tilted her head to one side and stared. 

He really was perfect.

Harry approached her again, fingers clinging to the thin band of her underwear as he pulled them down her legs, leaving her entirely naked.

He spread her legs open with both hands, fingers kneading her olive skin as he settled between her thighs. Maggie smiled at him, her eyes focusing on his hand as he took a hold of his cock and began to tease her slit. His wet tip glided up and down her glistening folds like it was made of silk, rubbing her throbbing clit and inflicting delicious torture that was quickly becoming unbearable.

“Oh, god.” She sighed. “Harry… Please.” 

A few moments later, she sensed him at her opening. He leaned down, his lips basking in hers as he invaded her wet entrance, stretching it slowly as he pushed inside her little by little. It was a simultaneous feeling of familiarity and newness for both. They knew they’d been there before but the sensations while similar, were also surprisingly different in the best way possible. 

It was real.

Maggie moaned, both from the slight discomfort that came with accommodating someone his size and from the indescribable feeling of having him inside. She buried her face in his neck, mouth nibbling on it as he filled her up.

Once she’d taken in every inch of him, he started moving with more ease. 

Harry groaned. “You feel incredible.” He said. “Better than I remembered.” 

She smiled. “You too.”

The weight of his body became a familiar thing to her as he continuously slipped in and out, making her saturated walls drip with every eager thrust for the minutes that followed. Her body felt like it was ready to combust, wandering hands making contact with erogenous zones she wasn’t even aware she had. Lips eating her up and tongue tasting patches of supple skin only he had ever touched. 

Her feet lifted off the bed, and his hands gripped her calves as he drove into her with added force, at her request. A short while later, Maggie felt her orgasm triggered, little spasms taking a hold of her as she whimpered loudly, coming undone.

She was glowing, wiping perspiration off her forehead with the back of her hand as she repositioned herself on her side. Harry kissed her cheek as he lied down behind her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear while shoving his cock inside her again.

Almost instantly, Maggie lost herself in the waves of satisfaction that washed over her. Their position helping Harry reach new depths and allowing him to hit her pleasure point with more precision. There was an added friction to his movements as he penetrated her, causing her walls to quiver in response. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she finished again.

Harry draped his arm over her, fingers pinching her nipples as she pushed her ass into him, meeting his fervent thrusts over and over. She whimpered and moan, clenching her muscles as she felt herself climax once more. 

He didn’t stop this time. His movements were steady and uninterrupted, his body taking pleasure in her beautiful unraveling. Once her mind had cleared and her orgasm had passed, she became aware of the changes in his breathing. His low guttural moans next to her ear grew more frequent every time they connected. 

He lasted a few minutes longer, allowing her to read every thought that was crossing his mind just as he was nearing the edge. Maggie turned to him and nodded, biting down on her lip as he bucked his hips into her and groaned. His warm release streamed down her opening as he came inside her, sweat-sheathed bodies reveling in each other’s elated state. They remained entangled in one another, neither in a hurry to get up, determined to enjoy every second they had together.

* * *

Maggie looked at him and raised one finger up. They were both still naked, having not had enough of each other after that first time. And based on what she was asking for now, she still hadn’t had her fill of him.

“It’s almost noon.” He said, kissing her hand. “And it’s a weekday. I have a class starting in one hour.”

She gave him a deadpan stare. “Like you’ve never canceled class before.”

Harry closed the distance between them, giving her a long, passionate kiss that didn’t do a thing to appease her hunger. He looked at her silently for a moment, his thoughtful demeanor causing a bit of concern.

“Please don’t tell me this is the part where you say you regret what we did.” 

He put his arm around her, Maggie’s head resting on his chest as she snuggled into him. “Of course not.”

“Then what is it?” She quipped. “Don’t make me read your thoughts to find out.”

“You said we were happy and that everything was perfect in that other reality.” He reminded her. “But there was one thing that we both wish we could’ve changed. I know it bothered you as much as it bothered me because it meant we couldn’t be completely true to ourselves and the world.”

Maggie recognized then what he was trying to say. She raised her eyebrows, dark eyes lighting up as she smiled. “You don’t want to keep this a secret like before.”

He shook his head. “And yes, I do realize that Mel is actually more capable of killing me for this than your mother ever was.”

Maggie laughed. “Mel loves you. She might not say it but I know she does. And she trusts you. More than she trusts any other man in our lives.” 

“Then I’m willing to take that chance if you are.” He said, smiling down at her. 

She beamed, running her hand over the side of his face. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Har.”

Maggie was certain that them coming together again was just as he’d said before, part of destiny asserting itself. Every path they could’ve taken would’ve eventually led to that, she was sure of it. There were no coincidences, as far as she was concerned.

They were a constant, fixed and unchangeable, despite time and despite realities.


End file.
